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A debutanizer is a type of fractional distillation column used to separate butane from natural gas during refining. Raw natural gas contains heavier hydrocarbons and other substances that are removed in production. Upgrading debutanizers for greater efficiency would be cost-effective and environmentally friendly.
A debutanizer is a type of fractional distillation column used to separate butane from natural gas during the refining process. Distillation is the process of heating a liquid into vapor and condensing the vapors into liquid to separate or purify the liquid. Examples include distilling water to purify it and distilling liquor to make it stronger. Fractional distillation, as done in a debutanizer, is the separation of a fraction – a collection of compounds that have a boiling point within a certain range – from the rest of the mixture.
Raw natural gas can be extracted from natural deposits or released as a byproduct from petroleum distribution. Either way, it’s not nearly pure methane that consumers are using. Up to 20% of raw natural gas is made up of various heavier hydrocarbons, chemical compounds made up of hydrogen and carbon, such as butane, propane and ethane. Additionally, oxygen, nitrogen, hydrogen sulphide and traces of noble gases may be mixed within the gas.
These other substances are removed in production as the natural gas is refined. Huge fractionating columns – industrial towers 2-20 feet (0.61-6.1 m) in diameter and 20-200 feet (6.1-61 m) high or sometimes more – vaporize the gas in an expansion turbine and then condense it with multiple valve trays. Depending on which hydrocarbon is removed from the natural gas liquids (NGL), the column could be a debutanizer, depropanizer, or deethanizer. When the process is finished, natural gas is almost pure methane. Traces of mercaptan, which is the source of the rotten egg smell associated with natural gas, are actually added to methane to make leaks more detectable.
Different refineries might refine gas in different orders. Most commonly, the NGL flows first through a depropanizer to remove the heavier propane from the mix and then through the debutanizer next to the butane siphon. Other refineries use a debutanizer to remove a butane/propane blend, also known as a C3/C4 blend, from NGL and then use a depropanizer to separate the butane and propane from each other.
Studies have suggested that upgrading debutanizers for greater efficiency would be both cost-effective and environmentally friendly. Normal operation of the oil refinery allows light hydrocarbon gases to dissolve in the oil. Transferring these gases gives the oil company another source of energy on the market, but makes the oil more efficient by decreasing clogging and fouling of burner tips.
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